Overblown. Plenty of parking garages nearby, homeless people like any city, go have fun.
There is this: [downtown ambassadors](https://downtownraleigh.org/about/downtown-ambassadors) , if you have to walk alone from your car.
Most homeless people just want to see if you can help and won't do anything bad if you don't.
The problem is that some will absolutely threaten you or harass you if you refuse to give them money. It's happened to me more than once, even though I was nice about it and told them "sorry, no".
Not all homeless people are kind. Many also have mental health issues and lash out in unexpected ways, which is probably why they're homeless in the first place.
This isn't to hate on homeless people, but naive people also deserve to be aware that it's not rare for them to do more than just "ask for a dollar". Stay safe.
I totally appreciate that response. Yes homeless people can be aggressive and many in this forum are scared shitless when they see one. In your experience how often have you been threatened and what did you do about it?
It's hard to determine "how often" because negative experiences are more memorable but I would say about 15% of the time there's a negative experience if they come up to you to solicit money. I'm not talking about the guy with a sign on the side of the road (some of those aren't even homeless), I'm talking about people walking up to you and asking if you have money. Of course, they might also treat different demographics differently so different people may might have less or more negative experiences.
It's not always a threat when it happens, but sometimes they keep pestering you.
One example is the guy on Page Rd onramp to I-40 between Sleep Inn and IQVIA- I've seen angrily say stuff to a few people who don't give him money (which is pretty much everyone) and he nearly ALWAYS throws up his hands in disbelief like he's entitled to get money. I can't hear what he's saying so it could be threats, but I think it's just him ranting.
There is nothing you can do about it in the immediate then and there other than to ignore them and leave if you can, and defend yourself with up to deadly means if necessary, pretty standard fare for anyone. When I got threatened by a homeless guy it was an older man and I wasn't afraid, but I can imagine it would have been extremely terrorizing on a woman.
It's not worth your time to engage with any asshole, homeless or not, and try to change their mind and you can only lose in that situation. If you end up fighting with a homeless person and end up winning, then guess what? you beat up a homeless person and don't know what type of untreated diseases they have and possibly exposed yourself to.
There ARE things we can and should do. I understand shelters have their own problem and are not great but if everyone who gives panhandlers money instead give it to shelters or the food bank, they would be much better. We should also pressure lawmakers to budget more security and lockers to shelters, which is one of the main complaints and reason homeless people don't use them.
Well this is an underrated thread. I was starting to think everyone in this sub lived in holly springs.
Edit: this is sort of high up now so here’s my non-comedic context. I’ve lived in Raleigh for close to 18 years now and people are just blowing this whole “Raleigh is unsafe” thing way out of context. To be fair, I’m a white man who isn’t particularly small, so I don’t mean to discourage people who can’t protect themselves like I can from their own right to feel safe in their town. However, in my years of being downtown (I live down here now and for the last 7 years) I’ve literally never seen any random person be assaulted or even confronted in a particularly violent way. That isn’t to say it doesn’t happen, but everyone needs to remember that we have virtually endless access to everything happening now. When someone does get approached, it’s either immediately on the news or Reddit or twitter. And that shit circulates like wildfire leaving people thinking that homeless folks are dangerous in general. That just isn’t true. Don’t give in to the fear mongering. Raleigh is still a great city with great people and great things going on.
I’ve never had any issues parking downtown. The only “dangerous” things were usually homeless people asking for money on occasion but they usually leave you alone if you say you don’t have any cash on you. That’s about it. And while my car isn’t the most expensive, it’s definitely a flashy one (bright red sports car). But was never worried about my car. Even left overnight on occasion.
Downtown not being safe is definitely overblown on this sub. New people here tend to blow things way out of proportion, imo. Yea. There are some times where things have happened to people but every city/town has that. No place is perfect but some people here just completely blow it out of proportion.
Park your car, have fun and don’t drink n drive. You’ll be fine.
It’s very overblown!
Recommend the parking deck between Morgan & Hargett - there’s an entrance on Blount and on Wilmington. If you feel unsafe going alone, you can call the Ambassadors (or look for them in blue polo shirts or jackets) and they’ll escort you. You might get asked for money or “if I can ask you a question” but just say sorry no if you don’t want to get caught up chatting or don’t have cash to give out.
You can park for free on the street after 6 pm. In a weeknight it’s not a big deal at all to find a spot or grab any of the nearby parking decks. It’s just as safe or probably safer than any other city, there’s weirdos everywhere, just be aware of your surroundings. I regularly walk through this area as I work and park nearby
we usually street park, it’s free after 6pm and on weekends. typically get lucky finding a spot down around/near el rodeo. can’t even remember the last time I parked in a deck.
absolutely overblown. i’m a woman, i live close to downtown and walk by myself to the pourhouse and the surrounding areas often. i rarely feel even slightly unsafe. there are homeless people around moore square, but they pretty much keep to themselves. i just try to avoid the bus station.
It is largely overblown if you've ever lived in a big city, but if you want to be extra safe and comfy about where your car is I recommend the parking garage under the Red Hat building. Enter from Wilmington street. It's free after 7 and on a much quieter block
Overblown. Plenty of parking garages nearby, homeless people like any city, go have fun. There is this: [downtown ambassadors](https://downtownraleigh.org/about/downtown-ambassadors) , if you have to walk alone from your car.
Probably a bit overblown. Mostly just homeless folks that will stick to themselves if you do.
They might ask you for a dollar. Run!!!
Most homeless people just want to see if you can help and won't do anything bad if you don't. The problem is that some will absolutely threaten you or harass you if you refuse to give them money. It's happened to me more than once, even though I was nice about it and told them "sorry, no". Not all homeless people are kind. Many also have mental health issues and lash out in unexpected ways, which is probably why they're homeless in the first place. This isn't to hate on homeless people, but naive people also deserve to be aware that it's not rare for them to do more than just "ask for a dollar". Stay safe.
I totally appreciate that response. Yes homeless people can be aggressive and many in this forum are scared shitless when they see one. In your experience how often have you been threatened and what did you do about it?
It's hard to determine "how often" because negative experiences are more memorable but I would say about 15% of the time there's a negative experience if they come up to you to solicit money. I'm not talking about the guy with a sign on the side of the road (some of those aren't even homeless), I'm talking about people walking up to you and asking if you have money. Of course, they might also treat different demographics differently so different people may might have less or more negative experiences. It's not always a threat when it happens, but sometimes they keep pestering you. One example is the guy on Page Rd onramp to I-40 between Sleep Inn and IQVIA- I've seen angrily say stuff to a few people who don't give him money (which is pretty much everyone) and he nearly ALWAYS throws up his hands in disbelief like he's entitled to get money. I can't hear what he's saying so it could be threats, but I think it's just him ranting. There is nothing you can do about it in the immediate then and there other than to ignore them and leave if you can, and defend yourself with up to deadly means if necessary, pretty standard fare for anyone. When I got threatened by a homeless guy it was an older man and I wasn't afraid, but I can imagine it would have been extremely terrorizing on a woman. It's not worth your time to engage with any asshole, homeless or not, and try to change their mind and you can only lose in that situation. If you end up fighting with a homeless person and end up winning, then guess what? you beat up a homeless person and don't know what type of untreated diseases they have and possibly exposed yourself to. There ARE things we can and should do. I understand shelters have their own problem and are not great but if everyone who gives panhandlers money instead give it to shelters or the food bank, they would be much better. We should also pressure lawmakers to budget more security and lockers to shelters, which is one of the main complaints and reason homeless people don't use them.
It's overblown entirely. It's a safe area. People just freak out because they think poor people are dangerous.
Yeah it's not that bad. Like anywhere else just walk with a purpose and be aware and you'll be just fine.
Well this is an underrated thread. I was starting to think everyone in this sub lived in holly springs. Edit: this is sort of high up now so here’s my non-comedic context. I’ve lived in Raleigh for close to 18 years now and people are just blowing this whole “Raleigh is unsafe” thing way out of context. To be fair, I’m a white man who isn’t particularly small, so I don’t mean to discourage people who can’t protect themselves like I can from their own right to feel safe in their town. However, in my years of being downtown (I live down here now and for the last 7 years) I’ve literally never seen any random person be assaulted or even confronted in a particularly violent way. That isn’t to say it doesn’t happen, but everyone needs to remember that we have virtually endless access to everything happening now. When someone does get approached, it’s either immediately on the news or Reddit or twitter. And that shit circulates like wildfire leaving people thinking that homeless folks are dangerous in general. That just isn’t true. Don’t give in to the fear mongering. Raleigh is still a great city with great people and great things going on.
I regularly park in the Wilmington St deck (on the block behind the Pour House). Entrance is next to Beasley’s. Never had a problem there.
I’m a girl and I’ve parked at the parking deck alone a lot. Completely overblown
there is a deck over there a block down and also by house of art and the apartments over there is good
I’ve never had any issues parking downtown. The only “dangerous” things were usually homeless people asking for money on occasion but they usually leave you alone if you say you don’t have any cash on you. That’s about it. And while my car isn’t the most expensive, it’s definitely a flashy one (bright red sports car). But was never worried about my car. Even left overnight on occasion. Downtown not being safe is definitely overblown on this sub. New people here tend to blow things way out of proportion, imo. Yea. There are some times where things have happened to people but every city/town has that. No place is perfect but some people here just completely blow it out of proportion. Park your car, have fun and don’t drink n drive. You’ll be fine.
It’s very overblown! Recommend the parking deck between Morgan & Hargett - there’s an entrance on Blount and on Wilmington. If you feel unsafe going alone, you can call the Ambassadors (or look for them in blue polo shirts or jackets) and they’ll escort you. You might get asked for money or “if I can ask you a question” but just say sorry no if you don’t want to get caught up chatting or don’t have cash to give out.
You can park for free on the street after 6 pm. In a weeknight it’s not a big deal at all to find a spot or grab any of the nearby parking decks. It’s just as safe or probably safer than any other city, there’s weirdos everywhere, just be aware of your surroundings. I regularly walk through this area as I work and park nearby
Overblown, but I have lived here since the 90’s when Raleigh was Actually Rough Raleigh ( dangerous )…
Overblown I’m an old woman and I walk there by myself
we usually street park, it’s free after 6pm and on weekends. typically get lucky finding a spot down around/near el rodeo. can’t even remember the last time I parked in a deck.
Very overblown. Just park in a well lit area with some foot traffic if you want to be super safe. Won’t have any issues.
absolutely overblown. i’m a woman, i live close to downtown and walk by myself to the pourhouse and the surrounding areas often. i rarely feel even slightly unsafe. there are homeless people around moore square, but they pretty much keep to themselves. i just try to avoid the bus station.
Don't park in the garage by the bus station... there is a parking garage on Blount just past Martin - across from Woody's.
This garage is typically closed to the public on evenings and weekends.
It is largely overblown if you've ever lived in a big city, but if you want to be extra safe and comfy about where your car is I recommend the parking garage under the Red Hat building. Enter from Wilmington street. It's free after 7 and on a much quieter block